Officially Insane
by May a Chance
Summary: Cedric is protected by magic itself and survives the killing curse. A month or so later, he comes across Harry in Little Whinging. Cedric's 'death' has left Harry decidedly insane. No slash.


_Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground. He was dead._

* * *

Elizabeth Corrington was extraordinarily confused.

Right before her eyes was a nearing dead teenaged boy. Only the faint moan that escaped his lips showed that he was alive, and not dead.

So she screamed; what else was she supposed to do? There wasn't a mark on the boy, yet his clothes were torn and bloodstained. How was it that a healthy looking boy was nearly dead on the ground?

Liza's screams reverberated through the grim graveyard of Little Hangleton.

A minute later, her husband, John, appeared at her side. "Liza, what is it?" Then he, too, saw the still form. "I'm calling the authorities."

He dashed off, running full tilt to their tiny home where there was a phone.

Five minutes later, a orderly was moving the still form onto a gurney, then carrying the handsome boy away.

* * *

To Cedric Diggory, nothing made sense.

The first thing he could remember was a sob of terror, then mortified wails from the same person. Cedric wanted to move, to talk to that person, but he couldn't move.

What felt like an hour later, there was a terrified shriek. Voices whispered around him, a hand felt its way to his forehead, causing Cedric to allow himself to relax ever so slightly.

"Dear god," someone whispered in horror. "What's wrong with him? Not a mark, yet he's at death's doorstep."

Everything faded into darkness.

* * *

"You alright, son?" The voice was soothing and gentle to Cedric's ears, but it still made him flinch as he woke.

"Yes," rasped Cedric on through a mouthful of cotton. "W-water, p-please?" With the words a retching sound escaped Cedric's throat that might have been a cough.

A glass scraped across a table, and he could feel an arm wrap around his broad shoulders to raise his torso a few inches, before a bit of water trickled down his throat.

"Slowly now, or you'll throw up." The same voice said, and once again Cedric flinched. More water trickled into his mouth, slightly more that time.

"You were on death's doorstep, for a few days. Not a-" Cedric whimpered at the word 'a' "-mark on you, yet you nearly died. What's you name now, son?"

"C-Cedric D-Diggory." Where the stutter came from, Cedric would never know. He _never _stuttered. Well, at least he hadn't since...

His thought trailed off. When had the last time he'd stuttered been? Cedric couldn't remember. He turned inward, examining everything from a million different angles. He couldn't remember anything before the voice. No, that was a lie. There was a boy, with shaggy black hair and brilliant emerald green eyes. He was screaming Cedric's name over and over again.

He jolted back to the present. Breath coming fast, Cedric pushed himself upward, eyes snapping open.

The voice belonged to a man who appeared to be some sort of healer... What the bloody hell was a healer? A doctor, Cedric decided, was the right term. But that left the question, was a doctor the same as a healer. And if so, why did Cedric think in such odd terms.

"Easy there, Mr. Diggory. You were on death's doorstep just an hour ago. Been out for a few weeks, now." The man continued talking, much to his patients chagrin. Cedric flinched all through the speech.

A memory rushed to the surface of his mind.

_Cedric stood edgily in the middle of a massive room. Before him was a wooden goblet with blue flames coming from it._

_"Cedric! Cedric! Cedric!" The chants came from all around him._

_Parchment slipped from Cedric's hand over the goblet, and fluttered into the flames, causing them to turn red for a minute._

_Cheers erupted from around the massive room and the chants grew louder. "Cedric! Cedric! Cedric! Cedric! Cedric! Cedric!"_

_Then the chants of his name turned to "Cedric for champion! Cedric for champion!" and "Hogwarts! Hogwarts!", before a bulking teen came forth and dropped parchment into the goblet as well. Silence filled the hall._

Cedric's breath quickened once again and the hea- no, doctor, rubbed his back gently.

"Feeling alright, Mr. Diggory?"

"Yes, just fine, sir."

The doctor nodded decisively. "Good. Then you won't mind answering any questions, will you? Good. Who are your parents."

"Amos and Eileen Diggory." Cedric replied instantly, relying more on instinct than his brain. He couldn't remember much of anything.

"Date of birth?" The doctor asked, scribbling something down.

"September, 1978."

"Place of residents?"

"No idea."

The doctor looked curious at that. "Really? Did you hit you head?"

"Dunno. No memory." That was a lie. A face floated just within his vision. Long black hair framing a face with dark, sparkling eyes. Her name... Cho. Chinese descent, very, very pretty, or at least in Cedric's opinion.

"What happened when you passed out?"

_Someone screamed. "Avada Kedavra!"_

_"Noooooooo!" Someone else wailed in response._

_A flash of green light hit Cedric in the chest and he flew back._

"Green light."

The doctor mumble something about that being curious, before leaving the room with Cedric still in it.

* * *

Doctor Melvyn Ellery was very confused indeed.

His new and mysterious patient, supposedly Cedric Diggory, was a total mystery. His answers were short and cryptic, yet still very too-the-point. What had he been referring to by saying 'green light'? The way he flinched when a word began with the letter 'a' was very strange indeed, as was the way he flinched at someone speaking in general. The way he zoned out for a minute before snapping back to the present was weird. His brilliant grey eyes were shadowed with mystery and fear. The way he had been caked with blood and dirt when he came in, yet without any injuries to have caused such a thing; just the curving scar over his heart. The instinct he seemed to rely on. What Melvyn wanted to know was what the bloody hell was going on.

* * *

If the doctor was confused, it was nothing to how Cedric felt.

Imagine waking up with no idea who you are, who your parents are, the name of friends and family, not remembering your own age, your own school, just the face of a teenaged boy and an older girl. Yeah, how is that for confusing. Very good indeed.

But Cedric had quickly become accustomed to the confusion.

* * *

It was the next week when the Hospital known as Hangleton Hospital found a family that would take in the mysterious boy with no family and no past and no memory.

That family was the Polkiss' of Little Whinging Surrey. They decided that their own son, Piers, could do with an older sibling (Piers was terribly spoiled, a member of a mini gang and a bully).

So that week, the Polkiss family (Peter, the father, Emily, the mother, and Piers the son) came to pick Cedric up from the hospital. All were rat-faced, though Emily seemed quite different from her husband and son.

Peter was tall and stick thin, looking irritated and taking in a anything-but-normal boy like Cedric. His son looked quite similar, but in more of a spoiled brat way than irritated parent way. Neither seemed to want Cedric around, though Emily very much did, smiling at Cedric and chattering about the neighborhood and a family called the Dursleys whom seemed quite awful (or perhaps Emily was a bit simple for liking such people, or perhaps just scared of them). Perhaps she just wasn't any good at describing people in a good light.

It took five long hours for them to reach Little Whinging. The house was on Magnolia Crescent, a two story building with simple walls.

Emily led Cedric, who had his measly belongings in a duffel bag, upstairs to an empty room, which she described as 'his new room'. The room was simple, with light brown walls and floor, a bed of golden-brown, a desk and closet in the same earthen tones. It wasn't perfect, but Cedric loved it anyways.

"Thank you," he whispered softly, truly meaning his word. Cedric always meant it when he said something; he couldn't lie for the life of him, which, while the doctors appreciated it, completely confused them and concerned them. What sort of teenager can't lie? Was the question running through each or their minds.

Emily smiled in return. "Your welcome, Cedric. Go on, now, unpack. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Cedric did. His coloured pencils and sketch pad were placed on the desk, along with the strangely carved piece of wood on the desk, while his torn 'Diggory' shirt he placed in the closet, along with the plain black duffel bag. He didn't have any other items, aside from his running shoes, which were downstairs, his socks, which were one his feet, his pants, which he wore, and his shirt, which he also wore. So essentially, Cedric had no items. Which made unpacking quick.

* * *

_'Another day of sweltering sun,'_ Cedric though miserably, pulling on the baggy shorts and T-shirts that Emily had given him. It was July thirty-first, and Cedric had been with the Polkiss family for five days. He quite liked Emily, though Peter and Piers were quite unlikable, but Cedric was still grateful that they had been willing to take him in.

"Diggory!" Piers called from downstairs. "Come on! I'm meeting up with the gang in the park, and I'm not allowed to go unless you come!"

Cedric rolled his eyes as he walked down the steps. He gave Piers a look that quite clearly said "You were saying?", and they were off. Essentially, the deal was that because the Polkiss' had taken Cedric in, he was to keep Piers from beating up others. Or so Peter said anyways, but Cedric was happy to comply. He had nothing else to do.

Piers led the way to the gangs meeting place, a park. Yellow grass and a child play area; swings, slides, etc.

Sitting on one of the swings was a decrepit looking teen with messy black hair, who was being jeered at by the gang. Dudley Dursley was the leader of the gang, with Piers as deputy, while the men were Malcom Stalks, Gordon Howl and Dennis Hugely.

Cedric had met the lot once before when they had been over for 'tea', in other words off to beat up the neighborhood children, which Cedric played mediator in.

It was around two, and swelteringly hot. Cedric wasn't sure where he had lived, but he could guarantee that it was much colder than Little Whinging.

"He squealed like a pig, didn't he," said Malcom, obviously referring to a kid they had beat up.

"Yeah, brilliant punch, Big D. Did you see his face?" Said Gordon.

"Hey, Big D," said Piers.

"Beat up another ten-year-old?" Asked a boy whom Cedric couldn't see, one who seemed to be sitting on the only non-broken swing.

"This one deserved it," Dudley replied.

"Oh, yeah, five against one, very brave," the boy laughed.

"Well your one to talk," Dudley grunted back, irritated at being made fun of. "Moaning your sleep every night. At least I'm not afraid of my pillow. 'Don't kill Cedric'," Dudley imitated a high-pitched voice.

Cedric listened more intently at the sound of his name.

"Who's Cedric, your boyfriend?" Dudley continued to taunt.

"Shut up." The unseen boys voice seemed familiar to Cedric.

"'He's going to kill me, Mum!' Where is your Mum? Where is your Mum, Potter. Is she dead? Is she dead, Potter?"

The sky began to darken and it was clear that 'Potter' was beginning to lose his temper, but why the sky was darkening and it was becoming colder was unknown to me. Cedric took that as the cue to step in.

"Enough, you lot, clear off." He said, and the gang, who were terrified of him, immediately moved off, save for Piers who started pacing around the playground.

"You alright?" Cedric asked the boy whom the gang had been bullying.

He nodded numbly. "Y-your dead," he whispered after a minute. "How in the name of Merlin are you alive?" It was a rhetorical question, but Cedric answered anyways.

"My heart beats, my lungs draw breath." He stated simply.

Suddenly Cedric felt a headache coming on. "Your the guy from my visions..."

"And you from my nightmares. God, where is Dumbledore when you really need him!? Dang, where is Hedwig! No, bad question. Hunting. Dang, that owl loves to hunt, but when you really need her, she's off. Got the timetable backwards, I swear..." He trailed off, leaving Cedric completely confused. Perhaps 'Potter' was an escapee from an insane asylum. Somehow, Cedric doubted it.

"Owl?"

Potter stared at Cedric in confusion and horror. "Oh holy Merlin and his shaggy grey beard. Damn Voldemort-" for some reason unknown to Cedric, he flinched at the name. "-and his constantly trying to kill someone! Now he's wiping memories with his Avada Kedavras!"

That was it, Cedric decided. Whatever made him flinch at a word that started with 'ava' (he had improved his flinching (Peter ranted far too often. Cedric spoke far too little)).

"How the heck does this work! One minute your dead, the next your right in front of me. And how are we supposed to get your memories back? No, bad question again. Mind healers." Potter also thought in terms of 'healers' instead of 'doctors'. Weird. "Perhaps Madame Pomfrey could do it. Of course, no one will reply to my letters, and if they do, it's so vague I want to kill them for it and throw away my own birthday candy in annoyance! Have you ever tried to live of salads! It simply doesn't work, and Dudley isn't losing any weight, so why should we!" Finally Potter stopped talking. But then he continued. "Aren't you going to say something? No, bad question again. Angie called you 'strong and silent'. Fred or George (I can't tell them apart!) said you don't talk much. Sorry. But you are Cedric Diggory, aren't you?"

Numbly, Cedric nodded. "And you?"

Potter blinked. "Right, forgot you lost your memories. Harrison of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, at your service. Sort of. Not really, but I am willing to help. Now let's go, Ced, and do leave Piers behind, he's a bully, but I have to head home with Dudley. Uncle V would kill me if I didn't. Knows deep down that Dudley couldn't protect himself from a cat. I, on the other hand, supreme awesomeness the first, can fight off 100 dementors with a single charm. Right, no memory. I will shut up before you ask me to. Shutting up. Hey-" Harrison Potter's mouth closed with an audible click.

He stood from the swing, stretching before calling over to Piers, who was watching with Dudley. "Oi you lot! Come on! Piers, Dudley just invited you to sleep over, and Dudley, it's time to go!"

In Cedric's mind, Harrison was quite insane. But he decided to play along. He really did want to find out what the Merlin Harrison was talking about. T'was only natural. And Cedric was a very curious person indeed. Quiet but curious.

* * *

It was official. Whatever a dementor was, they sucked. Cedric shivered at the memory as he helped lug Dudley and Piers to the Dursley household.

"What exactly is a dementor?" Cedric asked Harrison before heaving under the weight of the two large teens (one being extraordinarily fat).

He scowled darkly. "Prison guards. They suck all the happiness out of the world, or at least in a metaphorical way; you think you'll never be happy again. They make you relive your worst memories. For me, I hear my mothers scream as Voldemort-" Cedric flinched "-killed her. Then I hear my father scream as well, and then I hear your father wail." Harrison looked at Cedric with a fierce loyalty in his eyes. He seemed to view the older teen as an older sibling, someone to look to for support. "When I returned alone, I was nearly dead. My arm was dripping with blood, and I screaming that you were dead and Voldemort was back. A Death Eater in disguise (a Death Eater is one of Voldie's supporters) dragged me off. Your father was just howling. It was heard all over the school, and they brought the aurors (police) in to question me, but when they got to the graveyard, you were gone and muggles were swarming the place. Basically everyone hates me now."

The four teens had reached Privet Drive, and were hauling the two half-unconscious muggles up the drive way with someone called Mrs. Figg when there was a crack.

Cedric jumped so high it was not even funny.

* * *

It was an entire day later (one that involved all too much yelling from one Mr. Vernon Dursley) when Harrison managed to get his 'friend' (Cedric still really had no idea who he was) out of the Dursleys.

Harrison (Harry, as he told Cedric to call him), held his wand aloft, casting the shadows scurrying for cover.

"Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out," said a low, growling voice.

Cedric's heart beat quickened as he saw who it belonged to. The man only had one eye. The other was electric blue and quite clearly fake.

"Professor Moody?" he said uncertainly.

"I don't know so much about 'Professor'," growled the voice, "never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly."

Harry lowered his wand ever so slightly, and peering up the steps at him (Cedric was unseen in the shadows) was a rag-tag group of about ten people.

"It's alright, Harry, we've come to take you away." Came a calm voice, and clearly Harry had heard it before.

"P-Professor Lupin?" Harry sounded like he didn't even believe what he was saying. "Is that you!?"

A third voice reached my ears. "Why are we all standing in the dark? _Lumos_!" The person declared. A bright, white light glowed from the end of her wand.

Nine people were crowded around the bottom of the steps, and the one whom Harry had called Professor Moody jumped.

"Look behind you, boy! There's someone behind you!"

Harry groaned like 'what is wrong with you?'. "Well, I know that, Professor. He's not trying to kill me."

Cedric received the distinct impression that Harry was rolling his eyes.

"If I wanted to kill Harry, I would have by now," I pointed out calmly. "Now, as neither of us have any idea who any of you are, kindly introduce yourselves."

"Who are you!?" Lupin barked, bringing his wand up so light was shining directly at the tall teen. He then gasped like he'd seen a ghost, which, one might say he had. "Cedric Diggory! Your dead!"

The woman holding her wand screamed, and the wand dropped to the floor with a clatter. "Bloody hell, Cedric! Your supposed to be dead! Harry said that you were hit by an AK! And of course that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned! Dude! That grants you some sort of magical status right next to Harry here! Wow..."

'Do I know you?' Cedric thought in confusion, confused by a person seeming to know him whom he did not know, or at least did not think he knew.

He echoed his thoughts aloud, and the woman's face sank in horror. "No! Now that idiot is wiping the memories with his killing curses! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Auror Nymphadora-"

"Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"You will have to duel me for the honours of killing that effing idiot!"

'Nymphadora' paled considerably. "On second though," her voice was very small indeed. "Let's just let Harry kill him, deal?"

Harry brightened. "Vengence." It was creepy that his face was broken open by a bright smile. "I shall revenge my parent's deaths and kill the Dark Lord by my own hand!" Laughter echoed through the room as Harry clutched his sides. "You shoulda seen your faces! Brilliant!"

Yeah, Harry was officially, very, very insane.

Were all of these people?


End file.
